Best Deal For Brake Pads/Rotors?

Well my brakes started squeeking and I took them into Midas for a pad change, I really just don't have the time right now. They told me they couldn't surface the rotors any more and I need all new pads and my fluid is dirty and will run me about $1100... uh I think not. So I will have a second opinion on the rotors and if need be then I will replace everything my damn self. But do you all know where I can get some good rotors and brake pads without spending a **** ton of money?

NAPA has the cheap rotors for about $25 and the good ones (OEM) for about $50. Pads cost what you want-Don't forget to burnish the rotors after you install everything (do a search on here for more info on that). It WILL make a huge difference in how it stops.

also i have found that a place near my home in houston. corvettes of houston they have slotted and dimpled rotors for like 600. all four of them. i do not know if that is the route you want to take but i am thinking about it. right now i am in the process of upgrading to zo6 brakes. as for pads. well you get what you pay for. so just keep that in mind.

There is an ebay vendor called Thepartsladi. They sell GM drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads as a package for about $325 for the C5. I'd give them a look. I bet they have a similar package for a C4.

I will be doing this repair shortly. It has to be easier than the BMW and I am aquiring the parts. What is the best way to bleed the lines.
I bought mine from ebay at $50 for rotors and pads. They cannot be any worse than what is on there now!

Get a Mityvac Hand Vacuum pump and start in the front drivers side work your way around.It helps to have a helper filling the MC while you bleed till the fluid is clear. Best tool for bleeding made. Use synthectic fluid when you do it.

I will be doing this repair shortly. It has to be easier than the BMW and I am aquiring the parts. What is the best way to bleed the lines.
I bought mine from ebay at $50 for rotors and pads. They cannot be any worse than what is on there now!

They say the Bench bleed is helpful.....I did this one time and it seemed like a waste of time.

You have to take the hoses off to install the line don't you?

The vacuum pump is pricey for a once every three or four year job

Gravity feed? This will take days when it should take 20 minutes.

Anyway. Get a coke bottle, and a piece of 2' vacuum hose from Kragen. Get the size hose that will just fit over your bleed nipple.

Make sure you have a nice closed end wrench for that nipple.

one person inside the car and the other at the Bleeder. Start at the RR Bleeder.

The Box end goes on the bleeder, then the hose on top of that, run the hose so that it goes down into the Coke bottle all the way to the bottom.

You yell, "Pump" to the person inside, they push the brake pedal......You "crack" open the bleeder valve just enough to let some fluid out then you quickly shut it again. Once it is shut you yell "release"

Repeat this process over and over. You are looking for a few things things.

1. you'll hear the bubbles as they squeeze through the small opening of the bleeder, This is why I said Crack open the bleeder, you don't want to open it up wide. To get a idea of what it sounds like, squeeze some spit between your teeth with your mouth closed.

2. you'll see the bubbles in the Coke bottle. Make sure the hose stays down in the bottle. You WANT to see the bubbles...this tells you that you almost done. If the hose is tight and the end is down into the old fluid in the bottle, how can you suck air back into the nipple?

3. You'll start to see new clear brake fluid coming into the bottle. This means that fluid from the MC has made it all the way to the caliper you are working on. If you keep the hose down into it, you'll see the clear fluid at the bottom as it forces the old brown stuff upwards.

The RR Caliper will be the worst one as it has the longest hose for the fluid to travel.

The pedal will feel exactly the same way until you finish the fourth caliper. This is the part where everyone gets messed up....they keep bleeding one or two calipers thinking that there should be a change yet the pedal continues to go all the way to the floor. Until you get the air out of the last caliper...the Front Left one... the pedal will not change and you'll have no breaks.

You must constantly be vigil about the fill level. If you let it run dry, you've screwed yourself and you have to start all over.......Completely start over.

Lastly, make sure you have a patient person inside. They must be wiling to sit for 20-30 minutes and be ready to follow commands of "Pump" then "Release" and understand that "Pump" means push the brake pedal at a steady slow rate and HOLD IT DOWN until you yell "Release" No exceptions

If they let go while you still have the bleeder valve open, there is a chance to re-introduce air into that system.

This is a 20-30 minute job.

If you ask me, the hardest part of that Job was getting the Plastic fill cups off of the old MC. That part was a real bugger as I didn't want to break them yet they were stuck.

Sweet. They said my front rotors were at dangerously low micron levels and the backs weren't too far behind. My dad has never had the rotors changed when he owned it, just had them resurfaced. So I may be looking at new rotors anyway but I can still get away with a very doable price.

Ok, are you changing out the brake fluid? Or just under the assumption that doing the pads and rotors requires bleeding?
You can do your pads/rotors and not, repeat NOT have to bleed anything! If you never crack a bleeder screw, no air gets in. Remove the master cylinder cap, remove the caliper assembly, leaving the brake line attached. (dont let it dangle, support it somehow ok!) Your piston will be extended out dur to the worn pads. Using a large C-clamp, slowly push the piston back in till its fully seated. This allows the new pads to fit. Install your rotors, re-install the caliper with new pads, button it all up. When done, apply the brakes several times to take up the slack and your good to go! Note, as you push the pistons back in, the brake fluid level rises, so be prepared to catch it or have a spill.

Location: The reason time exists is so everything doesn't happen at once

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dostovel

Sweet. They said my front rotors were at dangerously low micron levels and the backs weren't too far behind. My dad has never had the rotors changed when he owned it, just had them resurfaced. So I may be looking at new rotors anyway but I can still get away with a very doable price.

That's why they're telling you you need new rotors, there's a limit as to how many times they can be resurfaced. Each resurfacing removes material from the rotors, (makes them thinner). If you go beyond the manufacturer's recommendation the rotor could severely warp or even crack from the heat.

As for sknight88's recommendation, when you remove the MC cap check your fluid level. If it's high use a turkey baster to remove some before you push the pistons in. As you push the pistons back in you'll be forcing some fluid in the lines back into the MC. If your MC level is already topped off you'll have brake fluid all over the place. Not a pretty picture.

There is an ebay vendor called Thepartsladi. They sell GM drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads as a package for about $325 for the C5. I'd give them a look. I bet they have a similar package for a C4.

I bought GM Performace drilled/slotted rotors & DuraStop ceramic pads from Thepartsladi on ebay for a package price of around $400. The rotors have held up perfectly and the ceramic pads are almost completely dustless.

Sweet. They said my front rotors were at dangerously low micron levels and the backs weren't too far behind. My dad has never had the rotors changed when he owned it, just had them resurfaced. So I may be looking at new rotors anyway but I can still get away with a very doable price.

Take that with a grain of salt. It is either over the minimum or under. There is no "close". Also try to understand the reasoning behind GM and their specs. Are they going to publish a spec that is anywhere near or close to the ACTUAL danger level?? With Brakes??? No WAY. Corporate lawyers are going to have minimum published specs well within the real world safety zone to avoid lawsuits.

So there is a minimum spec for the rotors. We know that we could probably get away with going a few Thousandths of an inch beyond that spec.......but look at who is measuring it.......could it be a guy that also sells Rotors?? He wouldn't give you a bum steer recommendation would he??? Naw, never....